At First Sight
by shli
Summary: A Tony/Michelle story starting from her first day. Intended for people who are romantic at hearts and not action junkies, since action is not my forte. As always, feedback is encouraged.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note**: I'm surprised it took me so long to start a Tony/Michelle story, especially since they are the iconic 24 couple. I was inspired by the many wonderful stories that I found on this site. And as usual, we start at the beginning: when Michelle first comes to CTU and catches the eye of one Tony Almeida. ;) (I must apologize ahead of time since I am definitely not an expert on the world of government agencies, espionage, computers, and such. But, hopefully, you will all be so enthralled by the Tony and Michelle romance that it won't be too obvious.)

* * *

Tony scratched his cheek in frustration as he walked back to his station. Mason had decided that since it was a slow day in the terrorist world that it would be the perfect opportunity for Tony to finish up all the mundane paperwork. One would think that being the second-in-command would mean that he didn't have to do the work of a glorified secretary – apparently, that assumption was wrong. Not only that, but Mason had ordered him to basically babysit the new IP manager for the day; and knowing his luck, this Michelle Dessler would turn out to be some pain-in-the-ass, power hungry Nina Myers clone. Nina Myers – he still couldn't think of her without feeling angry, even after all this time. She had taught him a valuable, but painful, lesson; and he'd been wary of relationships ever since – and that made him even angrier since it meant that she was still affecting his life.

Because he was lost in thought and his attention was elsewhere, he didn't notice the striking woman waiting at his station until he was only a few feet away. She was patiently standing near his station, actively absorbing everything around her with a keen eye. If Tony hadn't been staring at her and seen her briefly bite her bottom lip, he would have never guessed that she was remotely nervous. Her curly hair had been tamed into a low bun, revealing the delicate curve of her neck. Everything about her looked soft and delicate … and touchable. Tony stopped himself before his thoughts went any further. No mixing of his personal and professional life.

Tony cleared his throat, catching her attention. She turned towards him, and his heart stopped for a second. She was breathtakingly gorgeous … and he was in trouble. Without betraying his emotions, he calmly stuck out his hand for a handshake.

"I'm assuming you're Michelle Dessler, our new IP manager from Division. I'm Tony Almeida, Chief of Staff and your personal tour guide for the day."

Michelle shook his hand briefly, having caught the sarcasm in his voice. A little annoyed, she coolly replied, "That won't be necessary, Mr. Almeida. I'm sure you've got better things to do than to show me around. Just show me where my station is, and you can go back to whatever you were doing."

Tony couldn't help but admire her response. Apparently, Ms. Dessler was not easily intimidated. "Call me Tony. Your station is right over there." He pointed to a desk with multiple monitors across from his, only a few feet away. "Here's your access card and a file with all the information you'll need. If you've got any questions, just let me know."

"Thank you," she replied, taking the card and file from his hands. Without a glance backwards, she brusquely walked to her chair. Tony watched her for a moment then turned back to the task at hand. Judging from the electric jolt he knew they'd both felt when their hands had touched, he was royally screwed.

Michelle's hand still tingled from having touched Tony's. She gave it a slight shake under her desk to try and get rid of the unwanted sensation. Being attracted to her boss was not a good idea. Too bad her heart wouldn't stop fluttering. She took a calming breath, stirring an errant curl upon exhalation, then opened the file that Tony had handed her and got to work. One thing for sure, there was no way she would give Tony the satisfaction of asking him for his help.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note**: And let the sparks continue flying…

* * *

Tony leaned back in his chair and stretched his arms up, letting out a groan. He was finally done. And to his credit, he had barely glanced in Michelle's direction the entire time, though he'd been tempted. Lifting up his hand, he glanced at his watch. It was past time to give himself a break and grab something to eat. He had been so focused on getting all the paperwork done that he hadn't even realized how much time had passed. His stomach grumbled to further demonstrate just how hungry he was. Giving his stomach a light pat, he got up from his chair and headed to the break room. Before he left his station, he cast a subtle glance in Michelle's direction but saw that her chair was empty. _Probably in IT_, he thought to himself.

As he had predicted, Michelle hadn't come up to him for help even once. He knew that he had gotten her hackles up with his remark; and although he slightly regretted it, it was probably for the best. He should keep his distance: he didn't want to make the same mistake twice. But still, it wasn't as though he wanted her to dislike him.

Expecting the break room to be empty, he was taken aback when he saw Michelle in there, leaning forward on her tiptoes as she attempted to grab a mug from one of the shelves. She blew her bangs out of her face in frustration as she barely skimmed the handle with her fingertips, inadvertently pushing it further back.

Wordlessly, Tony moved within inches of her and handed her the mug. He was close enough to smell the light dab of perfume that she'd put on her neck. Michelle's heels clicked as they made contact with the floor, and she looked up at him with those huge brown eyes.

"Thanks," she said, breathlessly.

"You're welcome."

Neither of them moved for a moment, their bodies almost touching. Finally, Michelle took a step back and went to the watercooler to pour herself some water. Tony's eyes automatically went to her backside before he could stop himself. His stomach made another noise, reminding him why he had come in the first place, and he walked to the fridge to grab the sandwich he'd gotten on the way to work that morning.

"So, how's your first day going," he asked her while he closed the fridge door. Michelle leaned against the counter with mug in hand. She took a sip before answering. "Just fine. I've already run analysis on the data you've given me. And you should have my report in less than an hour."

"Great." Tony took a huge bite out of his sandwich and chewed thoughtfully, wondering what to say next. He swallowed. "About earlier, I'm sorry if I came off a bit rude. It's just that Mason had me doing all this paperwork and … yeah."

Michelle smiled. "Don't worry about it. I wouldn't want to babysit the newbie either, if I had been in your place. Thank you for the apology. I really appreciate it."

Tony rubbed his forehead in minor embarrassment. "Yeah, I didn't want us to start off on the wrong foot, seeing as how we're going to be working together."

Michelle could see that Tony was having a hard time looking her in the eye, so she took pity on him. "Anyways, I'd better get that report on your desk ASAP. Enjoy your break."

Tony watched her walk away and couldn't help smiling. He was glad that he'd made things better between them, even though it would probably make it harder for him to keep things platonic. Plus, it wouldn't have been conducive to a good working environment if they were constantly at odds with one another. Now, if he could only convince himself of that reasoning.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note**: Shout out to my 3 reviewers (crazylove06, Jurojin, and OutCold) for showing me that there are people out there reading this. It warms this little old heart of mine. :) Anyways, on to a little bit of fun … (and yes, I know this would probably never happen.)

* * *

"Michelle, Mason wants to see us in his office." The sound of Tony's voice startled her. She had been staring intensely at the monitor, trying to finish up a report that was due in a few minutes. Butterflies flew around in her stomach as she turned to face him. Silently, she chided herself for her reaction, especially since they had been working together now for several months. Even after all this time, she still felt like a school girl with a crush around him.

Tony was sitting on the edge of her desk, as usual, making so that her legs were within inches of his. She brushed a curl behind her ear and looked up at him. "Right now? I still haven't finished this report. It needs to be sent to NSA within the next ten minutes."

"Put someone else on it. You know Mason. He doesn't like to be kept waiting."

"Okay, I'll be up in a minute."

"I can wait."

Michelle looked at him for a moment. He was a conundrum: he constantly sent her mixed signals, being friendly one minute and purely professional the next. It was as though he couldn't figure out if he really liked her.

She pressed a few keys on her computer then got out of her chair, giving Tony's legs a wide berth, and walked over to the agent that worked under her and asked him to finish the report. He nodded in compliance and went to his computer. She turned and headed towards the stairs leading up to Mason's office. Tony got up from Michelle's desk as she walked past him. When they reached the bottom of the staircase, he paused and gestured her ahead of him. Michelle felt slightly self-conscious as she climbed up the stairs, aware of the fact that her skirt had a slit in the back. She quickly reached the top and opened the heavy glass door and walked into Mason's office with Tony close behind her.

Mason put down the file that he'd been reading and took off his glasses. He came around from behind his desk. "You're probably wondering why I called you two up here. Don't worry, it's not a matter of national security. In fact, you two get to leave a little early and have a little bit of fun tonight." Tony and Michelle both had confused looks on their faces. Mason continued, "As you know, there's this fancy schmancy political hoopla tonight and representatives from all the government agencies have to be there. Now, as director of CTU, I was supposed to go; but something came up, and I won't be able to make it. You two are the next best thing, so you're going in my place. There's a team on the way here with everything you need: suit, dress, the works. You leave in one hour."

Tony spoke up first. "Mason, we've got work to do. Who's going to handle our workload?" Dealing with a bunch of politicians was not Tony's idea of "fun" – and Mason knew this.

"I've already called in your replacements. They'll be here in a few minutes, so get them up to speed."

"Why do we have to be there?" Michelle asked. She, too, was not one for politics – in fact, she'd rather deal with the DC anthrax incident again than have to wine and dine politicians.

"Funding. So, go to the party and play nice. If I find out that we've lost some of our funding, I'll know who to blame. Now go," Mason said, dismissing them.

Michelle wanted to say something to convince Mason to change his mind, but Mason didn't look like he was willing to budge on his decision. As she reached the bottom of the stairs, she glanced sideways at Tony. He was rubbing his forehead, a telltale sign that he was not in a good mood. Michelle got the folders on her desk in order for her replacement. When he got there, she debriefed him on the tasks that still needed to be taken care of. Tony was still talking to his replacement when Michelle finished, so she went ahead and met the team first. She didn't feel like making things awkward by waiting up for him.

Two female agents who specialized in hair and makeup, normally for undercover or decoy missions, were in the women's locker room waiting. They had also brought a few choices of dresses in various sizes. In the end, Michelle was put into a sophisticated, black dress that had thick straps. The neckline was fairly modest, only showing off the barest hint of cleavage, but it was backless. The material accentuated her curves without being too clingy, and the hemline barely skimmed the floor after she put on a matching pair of heels. Her hair was styled into a low side bun with a few carefully placed tendrils. Her makeup was subtle except for the lips: the agent insisted on using a slightly scandalous shade of red. A red clutch completed the outfit, and Michelle was sent on her way.

Michelle left the locker room riddled with nerves. She wasn't used to being made up to look so glamorous. The last time she'd worn a dress this fancy was at her brother's wedding, and that had been ages ago. She was also secretly excited to see Tony in a real suit. Although Tony's work clothes weren't exactly casual, he also wasn't one to wear a tie or have his shirt completely buttoned up either.

Concentrating on not tripping over herself, Michelle made her way to the exit, where a car was waiting to take them to the hotel hosting the event. She turned heads of those who happened to be in the hallway. A couple men even dropped the papers that were in their hands, totally taken aback by the vision she presented. Michelle barely noticed, too focused on getting out of there as fast as possible.

* * *

Tony felt like someone had punched him in the stomach when he saw her emerge from the doors. He fidgeted with his tie, trying to get some air. It was as if someone had suddenly turned on the heater and sucked out all the oxygen.

"Are you okay?" Michelle asked as she reached him.

He cleared his throat. "Yeah, I'm just not used to wearing a tie. Let me get the door for you." He opened the car door and stepped out of the way, letting her slide in first.

"Thank you," Michelle said as she attempted to get in the car as gracefully as she could, holding the skirt of her dress so that they wouldn't get in the way of her legs.

Tony took a deep breath, hidden from view by the car door, before following her in. It was going to be a long night.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note**: Forging on! And as always, please review.

* * *

Tony's hand was clenched tightly around the neck of the champagne flute. Thankfully, the glass was thick enough that it didn't shatter under the pressure of his fingers. All the fake laughter and ass-kissing was annoying the hell out of him. He took a huge gulp of champagne with the intention of getting buzzed enough as to be able to drown out the incessant chatter around him. Through the bottom of the glass, he could vaguely make out the shape of Michelle in the center of a small group of men. He could imagine what cheesy pick up lines they were using on her. They were probably saying stuff like, "If I had known CTU agents were as gorgeous as you, I'd have been a terrorist" or other crap like that. He set the empty champagne flute on a waiter's tray and grabbed another one. Being off in a corner of the room by himself allowed him to watch Michelle without being noticed or interrupted. Plus, he didn't think his brooding facial expression was very inviting either, which was intentional.

Although Michelle's face didn't give anything away, Tony could tell that she was uncomfortable with the attention. She was nervously playing with the clasp of her clutch as she laughed and smiled politely with the men around her. He badly wanted to swoop in and rescue her, but he didn't want overstep any boundaries. The whole car ride to the event had been filled with awkward silence with neither one of them knowing what to say to each other. They weren't really friends outside of work, so they didn't know where they stood with each other. Tony was about to join Michelle's little circle, regardless of the consequences, when she graciously excused herself from the group with her hand reaching in her clutch. As she walked towards the doors that led to an outside area, she looked down at the phone in her hand as though she were seeing who the caller was. Tony pulled out his own phone to see if he had gotten any messages, but there weren't any missed calls or voice mails, meaning that the caller was not from CTU. _Damn it_, he thought, _I'm still stuck here._ Downing the contents of his second glass, he set it down on a random table as he made his way towards the doors as well, following Michelle. He was curious about the phone call and wanted to find out what was going on.

When he got outside, it took a few seconds for his eyes to adjust to the dark. Looking around, there weren't many people outside: a few couples hidden in the shadows having private conversations. He looked for a sole figure and saw the faint light of a cell phone a minor distance away. He headed in that direction, making sure to stay a safe distance back as to not get caught but still close enough to be within earshot. By the time he was within hearing distance, the conversation seemed to be nearly over.

"She's not worth it… No, don't do this… Look, I'll be right there. Don't do anything till I get there, okay?"

Michelle quickly hung up and started moving back towards the doors. Tony stepped out from the shadows, intercepting her. Her hand went to her chest when she saw him.

"You scared the hell out of me, Tony. What are you doing here?"

"I followed her to see if you were okay. You looked upset." He wanted to ask her what was going on, but he didn't feel like it was the right time. And judging from her tone and her side of the conversation, there wasn't time to ask questions. Also, Michelle wasn't one to talk about her private life in general.

"I've got a family emergency, and I need to leave right now. I'm sorry to strand you here by yourself. I know these aren't really your thing."

"Don't worry about me. You just take care of whatever you need to take care of. Here, let me find you a ride."

Tony took out his phone and called CTU. "This is Almeida. I need a car for Ms. Dessler. Who's nearby?"

"Agents Groth and Loring are two minutes away from your location. They can take Ms. Dessler wherever she needs to go."

"Okay. Thanks." He hung up the phone and looked at Michelle. He carefully took her arm and led her to the front of the hotel.

"Thank you for doing this, Tony. I really appreciate it."

"Don't mention it. The car will be here soon. I'll talk to George when I get back so that you can get tomorrow off."

Michelle's face softened with gratitude as she took his hand from her arm and into hers, giving it a gentle squeeze. "Thank you for this, Tony.

A black SUV pulled up to the front and Groth got outside to open the door for her. With one last look at Tony, she got into the car and gave Loring an address. Tony watched the car drive away before heading back in to find the open bar and get something stronger than champagne.


End file.
